TROY professors to take music journey to Poland

TROY—In April, two members of the music faculty at Troy University will visit Poland to perform at the “Clarimania 2011” festival in Wroclaw.

Dr. Timothy Phillips and Dr. T. Adam Blackstock will perform at the international clarinet festival on April 16.

Dr. Phillips is Assistant Professor of Clarinet in the John M. Long School of Music at Troy University and principal clarinetist of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. He presented a master class and lecture at “Clarimania” in 2009.

Dr. Blackstock is Assistant Professor of Percussion Studies/Assistant Director of Bands at TROY, and also serves as Principal Timpanist with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. He was a featured soloist at the 13th Annual Festival of Percussion in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2006 and in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2007.

“Clarimania” is a bi-annual clarinet festival organized by the Karol Lipinski University of Music. It includes concerts, recitals, master classes, lectures, meetings with artists and exhibitions of instruments.

“It is really a great opportunity for me,” Dr. Blackstock said. “When [Dr. Phillips] suggested playing there, I was very excited … so I said yes without a second thought.”

Dr. Phillips and Dr. Blackstock will perform a lecture recital of "North American Works for Clarinet and Percussion Duo," along with works by Troy University faculty composers Dr. Traci Mendel and Dr. Carl Vollrath, and other composers.

In addition, Dr. Blackstock will give lectures at two conservatory music schools in Poland and present a solo marimba performance.

“I am giving one class in Karol Lipinski Academy of Music and two classes in the Chopin Conservatory of Music,” Dr. Blackstock said.